Direction indicator



April14, 1925.

. C. J. ERSON DIRECTICN yINDICAIOR Filed FSb, B.

Patented Apr. 14, 19125.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CARL J. ERSON, 0F MINNEAPOLS, MNNS l VELINE, 0F MNll'EAPOLIS,I'lllllNESOTA.

SOTA., ASSlGNOR 0l? ONE- fro inns J.

DIRECTON INDICATOR.

Application leFeloruary 8, 1924. Serial No. 691,527.

To all whom t may cono/crit.'

Be it lrnown that I, CARL J. EiisoN, a citi# zen ot the UnitedStates,residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State ofMinnesota, have invented certain new and useful improvements inDirection Indicators, ot which the `following is a specification.

This invention relates to direction indicators tor automobiles and othervehicles, and the main object is to provide a simple, etlicient, andpractical device, adapted tobe secured upon the vehicle, and whichwillindicate to other drivers and to trallic otlicers and pedestrians whenthe driver of the car is to turn at a street intersection. Further andmore specilicobjects will be disclosed in the course of the followingspecification, reference being hadvto the accompanying drawing, wherein:y y

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the lett side o' an automobile, of theinclosed type, showing the position ot my indicator when not in activeuse.

F ig.'2 is an enlarged sectional elevation `ot the indicator, showing itas partly extended.

Fig. 3 is a rear View of the indicator, on the car, and shown, as fullyextended.

Fig. -i is an enlarged detail view of the hand lever tor operating thesignal and as seen trornthe inside of the car.

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation as seen substantially on the line 5--5in Fig. 4.

Referring to the drawing more particularly and by reference characters 6designates the wind shield frame oi an automobile, and although thisframe is shown in the present instance as a part of the automobile body,it is obvious that the indicator may, with some slight modification,also be readily applied to cars ot the touring or open type.

Upon the outer side of the frame 6 l secure a. plate 7, and upon theinner side l secure a plate 8, having a circular embossed rim 9 providedwith a notch 10. A horizontal hollow rod or tubular member 11 ei;- tendsthrough the frame 6 and is journaled in the plates 7 and 8. Upon theinner end of the member 11 is tiltaloly secured, as by screws 12, a handlever 13, which is used to turn the rod and actuate the indicator. Theshort end 14 oi the lever 13 is' retained in trictional engagement withthe rim 9 by a spring 15 which acts against a small plunger or pin 1G,which rides on the rim `9 in a diainetricallyopposed position from thelever -portion 14. '.lhelever end 14 is normally retained in yieldingengagement in the notch 10 when the' indicator is in idle position, sothat when the operator desires to extend the signal lie-presses thelever 13 slightly in betorehe sWingsit-,thus release ing it from thenotch.v i

.Upon the outer end of the ymember '11 l rigidly secure by means of ascrew 17 one end ot a channel shaped casingy 18.` Within the outer endof' this 'casing I pivotally Vsecure a hollow'signal a in l19, which ispret* erably pointed like` an arrow, and is provided with a light bulb2O which can readily be seen, when energized, through glass 0r,Celluloid windows 21. `This bulb ymay be connected in any suitablecircuit, although I prefer to arrange a switch inthe circuit which willbe controlled byv the movement of the indicator. Thus, in Fig. 2 I showa contact spring 22 which will close the circuit between the circuitwires 23, when the arm is extended, and will open the circuit when theindicatoris brought bach to its idle or normal position.

`'lhe signal arin 19 is also connected, by a linlr bar 24, to the plate7, and this link affects the proper movement of the arm 19 `with respect`to the casing 18.` Thus when the casing 18 is turned to its verticaloridle position, the link 24, causes the signal arm to retract into thecasing, as in Fig. 1, where it is concealed from view. And, when thecasing is dropped down and out, by the lever 13, the link causes thesignal arm to change to the horizontal position, as shown in Fig. 3. Thelinlr 24% is ay little longer than the casing, to prevent the latterfrom dropping down to a full horizontal posi tion, and is also slightlycurved at'` its outer ioo vention, what I claim to be new and desire toprotect by Letters Patent is:

l. A direction indicator consisting of a plate, a channel-shaped casing,pivotally secured to said plate, a signal arm pivotally mounted in saidcasing so as to be substantially concealed therein When in idleposition, and a link bar connected at'one end to said plate and at theother end to sai-d signal arm. y

2. A direct-ion indicator for automobiles consisting of a@ easingpivotally secured to theautoniobile to be swungr outwardly thererom,asignal arm pivotally secured to the outer end ofl the casing, and alinlr secured at one endnear the base of the casing and at its other endtothe signal arm so that it "will swing outwardly with the casing andsulistantially parallel with respect thereto, said link being ofdifferent length than the casing so it Will stop the outward movement ofthe same When the signal arm reaches a. horizontal position.-

3. A- direction indicator for vehicles, consisting of a. body memberpivotally secured upon the Vehicle and normally disposed in an idlevertical position above the pivot point, means `for swinging the bodymember outwardly from the vehicle and back to normal position, a signalarm,'pivotally secured at one lend to fthe upper end ot" the bodymember, a link connection between the signal arm andthe vehicle, andmeans to stop the outward movement of the body member when the signalarm reaches a horizontal position.

4. A direction indicator for vehicles, consist-ing` of a body memberpivotally secured at one end to the vehiclevand normally disposed Vin avertical position, a signal arm pivotally secured to the other end ofthe body member for swinging movement therefrom, a link connectii'ig thesignal arm to the vehicle, said linl; being longer than the body memberand slightly curved at 'is outer end, so that it will stop the outwardmovement of the body member when the signal arm reaches a horizontalposition.

5. A device of the character described, consisting of a plate securedupon the inner side of a vehicle and havingan annular rib provided witha notch, a bearing member `journaled in said plate, ooncentrically with.`respect to said rib, and extending out through the vehicle, a directionindicating device adapted to be operated by the outer end of the bearingmember, a hand lever tilts-bly mounted upon the inner end of the bearingmember,` andv means for yieldingly holding said lever in frictionalengagement with said rib.

6. A direction indicator for vehicles, consisting of a body memberpivotally secured upon the vehicle and normally disposed in yan idleverticle position above the pivot late a channel-shaied casing' )ivotallsecured to said plate, a signal arm pivotally mounted in said casing` soas to be substantially concealed therein, When in idle position, and alink bar connected at one end to said plate and at the other end to saidsignal arm.

ln testimony whereof l aliii` myjsignature. i

CARL J. Eason.

